This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 from my application APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING AN ADDING INFORMATION IN THE DATA BROADCASTING SYSTEM filed with the Korean Industrial Property Office on Mar. 9, 2001 and there duly assigned Serial No. 12243/2001.
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for processing a data broadcast signal and, more particularly, to an additional information processing apparatus and method for easily selecting and acquiring additional information contained in a television (TV) broadcast signal in a data broadcast system without a time limit by using a still picture.
2. Related Art
As data processing technology develops, a TV station transmits various types of additional information, including general information on TV programs, in addition to video and audio signals. A TV receiver receives the additional information, and acquires the additional information according to a TV viewer""s selection.
For such data broadcasts in an analog broadcast system, the additional information is embedded in a predetermined horizontal synchronizing signal section, which does not have any influence on the picture being displayed, and is then transmitted. Accordingly, there is a limit to the amount of additional information which can be transmitted. Consequently, various information services cannot be provided. However, as digital broadcast systems have developed, a large amount of additional information that TV viewers can conveniently use can be provided. Accordingly, additional information tends to vary in type, such as education, game and on-line commerce information, as well as general program information.
Such an additional information processing technique in data broadcasting is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,035,304 to Machida et al., entitled SYSTEM FOR STORING AND PLAYING A MULTIMEDIA APPLICATION ADDING VARIETY OF SERUICES SPECIFIC THERETO, issued on Mar. 7, 2000 and Japanese Patent Publication No. hei 10-145694 to Kitahara, entitled MANAGING SYSTEM FOR BROADCASTING DATA INFORMATION, published on May 29, 1998. Machida et al. ""304 discloses a technique for storing application packages distributed by a broadcast station in a hard disc drive of multimedia within a TV, and selecting and executing one of the stored application packages at any time to utilize information added to a broadcast signal. Kitahara ""694 discloses a technique for receiving broadcast data information, and acquiring and storing only data information corresponding to an item selected by a user, thereby executing a response of the data information, even after the end of the program.
However, according to such conventional technology, when a large amount of additional information is transmitted, a large capacity storage medium is required to store and utilize the additional information transmitted. Accordingly, technology for acquiring additional information without installing a large capacity storage medium onto a TV has been developed. However, according to such conventional technology, the subject matter of the additional information must be directly selected by moving a cursor to the location of the subject on a screen of a moving picture transmitted in real time. Accordingly, when the subject of the additional information is dynamic, or when additional information is contained in a rapidly changing image, a user is pressed for time in selecting the subject of additional information so that it is difficult for the user to accurately select desirable additional information.
To solve the above problems, it is a first object of the present invention to provide an additional information processing method for holding a picture, with respect to which additional information included in a broadcast signal is to be used, and selecting additional information related to the held picture without a time limit on acquisition of the additional information in a data broadcast system.
It is a second object of the present invention to provide an additional information processing apparatus for holding a picture, with respect to which additional information included in a broadcast signal is to be used, and selecting additional information related to the held picture without a time limit on acquisition of the additional information in a data broadcast system.
Accordingly, to achieve the first object of the invention, there is provided a method of processing additional information included in a broadcast signal in a data broadcast system. The method includes the steps of: (a) determining whether the additional information exists in the broadcast signal currently being received, and displaying on a screen an additional information reception display image corresponding to the result of the determination; (b) determining whether an additional information acquisition command is inputted while a picture including the additional information is displayed on the screen; (c) editing at least a still picture and an additional information picture on one screen, thereby generating an additional information guide screen, when it is determined that the additional information acquisition command is inputted in step (b), the still picture being obtained at a moment when the additional information acquisition command is inputted, the additional information picture corresponding to an object selected from the still picture; and (d) performing additional information processing corresponding to a command input through the additional information guide screen.
To achieve the second object of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for processing additional information included in a broadcast signal in a data broadcasting system. The apparatus includes: a demultiplexer for separating video data, audio data and the additional information from a channel decoded broadcasting signal; a controller for receiving the additional information separated by the demultiplexer, for generating an additional information reception display control signal when a picture including the additional information is displayed, for generating a control signal so as to provide an edited screen, such as an additional information guide screen, used for acquiring additional information when an additional information acquisition command is inputted, and generating a predetermined control signal corresponding to information input through the additional information guide screen; an image information generator for generating an additional information reception image signal corresponding to the additional information reception display control signals; an additional information processor for decoding the additional information separated by the demultiplexer; a video processor for decoding the video data separated by the demultiplexer; a video editor for receiving the output signal of the image information generator, the output signal of the video processor, and the output signal of the additional information processor, for outputting the additional information reception image signal to a predetermined location on a screen, and for outputting an additional information guide screen on which at least a still picture obtained at the moment when the additional information acquisition command is inputted and an additional information picture corresponding to an object selected from the still picture are edited; and a display unit for displaying a video signal resulting from editing by the video editor.